Content from Sternberg, R. (1994). In search of the human mind. New York: Harcourt Brace.
photo credit: andyp uk
1. Lack of motivation. A talent is irrelevant if a person is not motivated to use it. Motivation may be external (for example, social approval) or internal (satisfaction from a job well-done, for instance). External sources tend to be transient, while internal sources tend to produce more consistent performance.
2. Lack of impulse control. Habitual impulsiveness gets in the way of optimal performance. Some people do not bring their full intellectual resources to bear on a problem but go with the first solution that pops into their heads.
3. Lack of perserverance and perseveration. Some people give up too easily, while others are unable to stop even when the quest will clearly be fruitless.
4. Using the wrong abilities. People may not be using the right abilities for the tasks in which they are engaged.
5. Inability to translate thought into action. Some people seem buried in thought. They have good ideas but rarely seem able to do anything about them.
6. Lack of product orientation. Some people seem more concerned about the process than the result of activity.
7. Inability to complete tasks. For some people nothing ever draws to a close. Perhaps it’s fear of what they would do next or fear of becoming hopelessly enmeshed in detail.
8. Failure to initiate. Still others are unwilling or unable to initiate a project. It may be indecision or fear of commitment.
9. Fear of failure. People may not reach peak performance because they avoid the really important challenges in life.
10. Procrastination Some people are unable to act without pressure. They may also look for little things to do in order to put off the big ones.
11. Misattribution of blame. Some people always blame themselves for even the slightest mishap. Some always blame others.
12. Excessive self-pity. Some people spend more time feeling sorry for themselves than expending the effort necessary to overcome the problem.
13. Excessive dependency. Some people expect others to do for them what they ought to be doing themselves.
14. Wallowing in personal difficulties. Some people let their personal difficulties interfere grossly with their work. During the course of life, one can expect some real joys and some real sorrows. Maintaining a proper perspective is often difficult.
15. Distractibility and lack of concentration. Even some very intelligent people have very short attention spans.
16. Spreading oneself too think or too thick. Undertaking too many activities may result in none being completed on time. Undertaking too few can also result in missed opportunities and reduced levels of accomplishment.
17. Inability to delay gratification. Some people reward themselves and are rewarded by others for finishing small tasks, while avoiding bigger tasks that would earn them larger rewards.
18. Inability to see the forest for the trees. Some people become obsessed with details and are either unwilling or unable to see or deal with the larger picture in the projects they undertake.
19. Lack of balance between critical, analytical thinking and creative, synthetic thinking. It is important for people to learn what kind of thinking is expected of them in each situation.
20. Too little or too much self-confidence. Lack of self-confidence can gnaw away at a person’s ability to get things done and become a self-fulfilling prophecy. Conversely, individuals with too much self-confidence may not know when to admit they are wrong or in need of self-improvement.
Great post…I can related to point number 18, I used to focus on the details more than the end picture, but now am just focus on getting something done regardless of what it looks like. But another reason to fail is not having the right support or help to get you where you need to be. Its important to have a network of like minded people to get ideas off and ask for advice.
Avis
avis´s last blog ..Consumers Perception Of Advertising
Hi Avis,
Thanks
You make a very good point about networking. It’s very easy to get tunnel vision and having a group of people throwing different ideas around, or critiquing your work, helps immensely.
Cheers,
Rod
Hi Rod,
Let’s not exclude the dull and ignorant people from this dissertation! LOL
Gary Simpson.
Gary Simpson´s last blog ..Internet Marketing – JV Giveaway Events
Great Post Rod – where did this one come from?
I squirmed with some of these – particularly 15 + 16 plus one or two more!
Peter Davies´s last blog ..Strategic Profits – League of Extraordinary Minds
Hi Rod,
Good post listing almost depressingly so many points but they are all true.
I wish I could say that none of them apply to me but then I’d have to be incredibly successful.
There are a few points which I fall into and get out off periodically. For example focusing too much on details and at times the opposite of that.
Increasing awareness is helping to overcome those and interesting pieces like your post can do just that.
Vance
Vance Sova´s last blog ..First Extraordinary Minds Panel, Jay Abraham, Rich Schefren
Wow, Rod, you’ve pretty much hit all the reasons for failure. I, too, squirmed over a couple of these, especially no. 16. Identifying the problem areas is 9/10 of solving them, though. This is one I need to bookmark, for sure.
Thanks for writing it.
Roberta
Wonderful article. Some of the things can be managed by people if they willing to.
Jaydip Parikh´s last blog ..This Diwali become Special One ! Happy Diwali
Great post! I too fall in the trap of many of these
Plus side, I call myself intelligent because of it
Rhys´s last blog ..Tekken 6 – Xbox Video Game Review
Mr. Rod, You are right, If they overcome all these things. they can have better results in their life.
Weird, but the points cited are the same ones that cripple the not-so-brilliant people, too. I’m speaking from experience of course. Ahehehe. One thing that hits closer to home was number 7. Well, as long as we wake up in the morning there’s a likelihood we can finally get cracking to achieve our goals.
jan geronimo´s last blog ..Read My Lips: Twitter Lists Are Meant to be Exclusionary
Hi there Rod!
Thanks for this really thorough post. Very true and so common. Especially procrastination.
I know I suffered from that a lot at a stage in my life and it can really make you stand still for a long time!
Talk soon and have a great day
Dev
Dev Maritz´s last blog ..How To Get More Views On YouTube